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Mongolian Nomad Friends
All trips

Central steppe

Heart of the Steppe

Wild takhi horses, a herding family’s summer camp, and Kharkhorin, the old imperial capital.

Length
6 days
Level
Easy
Runs
May to September
Price per person
from $1,290

Overview

A short, gentle journey into the grasslands of central Mongolia. See the wild horses of Khustai, stay with a herding family and help with the animals, and visit Erdene Zuu, the country’s oldest surviving monastery. A good first taste of Mongolia if you have a week.

  • Watch takhi, the wild Przewalski’s horses, brought back to Khustai National Park
  • Stay with a herding family: milking, riding and making airag
  • Walk the dunes of Elsen Tasarkhai, the “little Gobi”
  • Visit Erdene Zuu monastery, founded in 1585
  • Ride in the Orkhon Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape

The route

Starts and ends in Ulaanbaatar.

UlaanbaatarKhustaiElsen TasarkhaiOrkhon ValleyKharkhorin

Day by day

A sample itinerary. We adjust it to your dates, the weather and what you’d most like to do.

  1. 1

    Day 1

    Khustai National Park

    Leave Ulaanbaatar after breakfast. In the evening, drive into the park to find the takhi as they come down from the hills to graze.

    Overnight:Ger campMeals:Lunch, dinner

  2. 2

    Day 2

    Elsen Tasarkhai

    West to the sand dunes of Elsen Tasarkhai, then on to your host family’s ger on the summer pasture.

    Overnight:Family gerMeals:Breakfast, lunch, dinner

  3. 3

    Day 3

    Life with the family

    Help milk the mares, taste airag, learn to saddle a horse and ride out with the herders to bring the animals in.

    Overnight:Family gerMeals:Breakfast, lunch, dinner

  4. 4

    Day 4

    Kharkhorin

    The monastery of Erdene Zuu and the museum of Karakorum, the 13th-century capital of the Mongol Empire.

    Overnight:Ger campMeals:Breakfast, lunch, dinner

  5. 5

    Day 5

    Orkhon Valley

    A gentle ride or walk along the river, and a last evening on the steppe.

    Overnight:Ger campMeals:Breakfast, lunch, dinner

  6. 6

    Day 6

    Back to Ulaanbaatar

    Drive back east, arriving in the afternoon.

    Meals:Breakfast, lunch

On the way

A family of takhi, the wild Przewalski’s horse, on an autumn hillside
Khustai National Park
A herder and his grandsons on the summer pasture
Övörkhangai
The painted beds and table inside a ger
Mongolia
The stupa wall of Erdene Zuu monastery
Kharkhorin
A steamer of buuz, Mongolian dumplings
Mongolia

Included

  • English-speaking Mongolian guide
  • Driver and 4×4 vehicle
  • Accommodation as listed
  • Meals as listed
  • Horse riding and park and museum fees

Not included

  • International flights
  • Travel insurance
  • Visa, if your passport needs one
  • Drinks and snacks
  • Tips for your guide and driver

Good to know

  • EasyEasy. Short walks, optional riding and comfortable camps. Fine for most ages.
  • An easy pace: no long hikes, and riding is optional.
  • In July, we can time the trip with a naadam festival.
  • Family gers are basic but warm, with an outdoor long-drop toilet.

More ways into Mongolia

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Naadam Festival

Wrestling, horse racing and archery at Mongolia’s great summer festival, then out onto the steppe.

Length
8 days
Level
Easy
Price
Price on request
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The Gobi dunes, the old capital, the hot springs of Arkhangai and Lake Khövsgöl, in one long journey.

Length
15 days
Level
Moderate
Price
Price on request
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Live with a Kazakh eagle-hunting family in the far west, below Mongolia’s highest mountains.

Length
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Level
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Price
from $2,450